The Third Day of Christmas……

THE THIRD DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE GAVE TO ME……..A conditioning program!

Hi there. Take my quiz to see if you need physical conditioning:

1) Are you a professional athlete?

2) Are you a Cirque Du Soliel star?

3) Are you a super hero?

4) Are you a thoroughbred race horse?

5) Are you a professional ballerina?

If you said yes to any of these, chances are you are highly conditioned and have pretty good muffin top control. If you said no to all of these, you might want to listen up, it’s time to start CONDITIONING your body.

Make no mistake, friends, there is a big difference between “being in shape” and being conditioned. Most people consider being in shape a point at which their clothes fit well, they have pretty good muscle tone, and not a whole lot of fat….fair enough. Being CONDITIONED, however, is where it’s at, and here’s why….

Being conditioned prepares you for the unpreparable. Think cave woman. It is a point at which you are strong, flexible, and agile enough to run from a tiger, leap a brooke, and climb a tree so you don’t become dinner. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but you get the picture. It’s athleticism. Skinny is out, wimpy serves no purpose in the aging process, just like it served no purpose in the cave man days. Lean muscle mass is what you want for healthy aging and there is plenty of science to prove it.

REPEAT AFTER ME: HEALTHY IS THE NEW SKINNY.

A good conditioning program takes into consideration aerobic and anaerobic development, strength, flexibility, full body neuromuscular movements, training in running, jumping, pushing, pulling, lifting and much more. This is how you tune a body for longevity and, well, hottness factor.

HEAR THIS: CHICKS NEED TO PUMP IRON, AND LOTS OF IT.

Exercise science has repeatedly shown us the hormonal and anti-aging benefits of pumping iron. I am not just talking about walking around the gym and picking out a machine to jump on for a while until you are bored and ready for the next one. I’m talking about ass-kicking, free-weight iron pumping until you can’t do any more. Not very common for most women today.

So how will this help your muffintop? Exercising for muffintop control is all about exercising for fat burning, not fat storing. Can you store fat from exercising? That would be a big FAT YES! Your approach to muffintop training should involve high intensity short duration bursts. Add all the other conditioning points I mentioned above and you are on our way….

Now, here is your million dollar muffin tip for today…..get way out of the comfort zone!! If you are exercising the way you did 20 years ago, or if you do the same thing all the time you need to mix it WAY UP!

The best conditioning program on this planet is called CROSSFIT. My husband opened a CrossFit gym a few months ago, and I have to say I was not too enthusiastic about the raw, iron pumping, cave-man approach the CrossFitters take. I have never been a lover of exercise anyway, and, as a woman, it did not appeal to me at all. My husband is a 20+ year veteran personal trainer, and he really knows his stuff. So I trusted his belief that CrossFit is exactly what this out-of-shape nation needs. Besides, after two years of living the good life in Sonoma, I had an extra twelve pounds I needed to get rid of and a muffintop that would put anyone to shame. Tail between my legs and fear in high gear, I reluctantly took my de-conditioned self to my first CrossFit class…

First of all, I was blown away at the amount of warming-up and stretching they do. This is to prepare your body for the high intensity part of the workout. Coming from a girl who has frozen fish sticks for legs this is a good thing. Then, after the warm up, they teach a skill that prepares you for the daily work out. I love this because it’s the educational part of the class, and you are actually learning and being educated, which is a novel approach, don’t you think? Then, there is a high intensity, short duration, work out, usually for time. It’s set up in stations and moderated by a CrossFit certified coach. You go at your own pace, modifying when needed, while giving it your all. You feel GREAT when you are done.

CrossFit is a CONDITIONING SPORT, and it is becoming all the rage. CrossFit games are now featured on ESPN, and most CrossFit gyms have their own games, which are a lot of fun. CrossFit gyms are typically called “boxes” and their members are referred to as athletes, which speaks to it’s conditioning type of approach. It’s great for sports training of any kind, or simply for getting rid of your muffintop. I am totally addicted and the results have been amazing.

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6 thoughts on “The Third Day of Christmas……”

Hi Heather! Crossfit is amazing. I started at your hubby’s crossfit gym just two months ago and have already lost 5 pounds and feel so much better! My husband says my body is looking pretty hot these days too!!! You are so right about Crossfit. Thanks!

I fully agree heather. I am blown away at the results. After working out for over 20 years I am amazed on how crossfit makes me feel and the results I am getting. I want to thank you and ea for bringing such a great sport to sonoma!

I’m a TJ’s Gym’er in Novato…..have been for a year and 1/2 now…drank the crossfit koolaid July 2010 and haven’t stopped since!…nothing better than crossfit for sure!!!! though losing a muffin top at almost 47yrs of age is a bit more challenging….all good stuff!!!